fbpx

Fair Trade Jewelry and Ethical Fashion

Our Founders on the India COVID-19 Crisis

by | Founders

Read Time: 2 min.

Dear Sisters, Customers, and Partners,

It’s been so inspiring and encouraging to see so many of you continuing to support our Artisans amidst the challenges that COVID-19 continues to produce here in the U.S. and around the world. Along with these challenges, we’ve also seen some exciting positive changes! We have loved connecting with and getting to know so many of you through social media lives, zoom calls, and other personal online connections this past year.

As we communicate with our Artisan partners around the world each day, we continue to receive heartbreaking reports of COVID-19 related illnesses and challenges, especially in India, Cambodia, and Nepal. Many of our Artisan partners have personally been affected by COVID-19 and have been unable to work. They are deeply concerned for their sick family and friends. Some have been hospitalized. Artisans are reaching out to us, asking for prayers. Please pray with us for their safety and healing.

Due to government lockdowns and restrictions in countries all over the world, many of our healthy Artisan partners are currently unable to leave their homes. While some healthy Artisans have been able to continue working from home, others didn’t have enough time to prepare workspaces or gather materials before sudden community-wide shutdowns occurred.

As a result, many of our Artisan partners are unable to receive supplies or ship products to our warehouse in the U.S. in time for us to prepare for scheduled product release dates. In some countries, COVID-19 cases are so high that it would be unsafe for Artisans to break quarantine in an effort to continue business as usual, and it would be unethical for us to expect them to.

We are an ethical fashion company. Our passion for ethical fashion is about so much more than following strict business practices. We have always valued and prioritized compassion for people over our passion for fashion.

As the complexities of COVID-19 related challenges continue to surface in new and unexpected ways, we at Trades of Hope continue to strive to meet each new challenge with excellence and scrappy determination… but also, with wisdom and love for every person.

The truth is… compassion is costly. It costs time, inconvenience, personal disappointment, and yes, money. But it is worth it to us. We want to do everything within our power to empower you to continue life, as uninterrupted as possible. We sincerely apologize for recent COVID-19 changes in plans, promotions, and availability of products you’re excited about, but can’t enjoy right now. Please know that we’re working extremely hard to overcome every COVID-19 related challenge in the safest and most compassionate ways possible.

We want to thank each and every one of you who share our commitment to valuing people over products and productivity. Thank you for your gracious patience, humility, flexibility, and sisterhood, as we continue to strive to serve and empower you to the best of our ability. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at the home office if you have any questions, and please keep our Artisan partners in your thoughts and prayers.

With love,
Gretchen and Elisabeth
Trades of Hope Founders | Passion for fashion. Compassion for people.

Share this story!

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Gretchen Huijskens

Gretchen Huijskens

Founder and CEO of Trades of Hope, Gretchen is passionate about helping mothers keep their children and for an end to modern day slavery.